六分之一新婚夫妇藏有小金库

The case for prenuptual agreements may have just gotten stronger: According to a new survey by credit-tracking company Experian, 16 percent of newlyweds admit they are hiding a financial account from their spouse.

婚前协议的案例与日俱增。信用监测公司益博睿的一项最新调查显示，16%的新婚夫妇承认，他们瞒着另一半，偷偷藏着自己的小金库。

Of those with secret accounts, about 60 percent were men and 40 percent women. Men and women also differed in how much spending they said they'd be comfortable keeping from a spouse. While female respondents said they'd quietly cough up $383 on average, male survey-takers were willing to spend $1,259 without mentioning it to their better halves.

这些藏有小金库的人中，60%是男性，40%为女性。而对配偶隐瞒多少开销会让其心安理得，男性和女性也大有不同。女性调查对象表示，她们通常会小心翼翼地跟丈夫少汇报383美元，而男性调查对象面对其心爱的妻子时，认为少报1259美元，仍可以瞒天过海。

Overall, nearly a third of people admitted to being relatively clueless about their husband's or wife's finances before tying the knot. About two in five respondents said they didn't know their spouse's credit score, while about 30 percent were unaware of their partner's long-term financial goals or student loan debt. And a quarter didn't even know their spouse's annual income.

总体而言，将近三分之一的人都坦言在结婚前对另一半的经济情况几乎一无所知。调查对象里有40%的人，表示他们不知道其配偶的信用评分，而30%的人对其配偶的长期经济目标或学生时期贷款债务情况毫不知情。更有25%的人甚至不知道配偶的年收入。

"Obviously, some people do have things they want to hide," said Indianapolis-based financial planner Meredith Carbrey. "But a lot of couples just don't make the time to sit down and talk finances, or one person is hesitant out of fear their partner will judge them."

美国印第安纳波利斯的理财规划师梅雷迪斯-卡布雷说：“显然，还是有部分人想隐藏自己的小秘密，不过大多数夫妻都不愿花点时间，坐下来聊一聊他们的经济情况，又或者夫妻中有一方害怕坦诚相告之后，会被配偶另眼相看。”

Skipping that hard talk about money before getting hitched seems to have consequences. While newlyweds said their biggest financial goal was saving to buy a residence, about a third complained that their spouse's credit score has affected their ability to get a home loan. And nearly 20 percent have actually needed a co-signer for major purchases since walking down the aisle.

婚前对财务问题避而不谈会造成不良后果。新婚夫妇常说他们最大的经济目标就是存钱买房，但几乎有三分之一的人都抱怨他们配偶的信用评分影响了他们办理住房贷款。而且将近20%的已婚夫妇在购置大件商品时需要双方共同签字署名。

Credit headaches are only one financial problem the survey revealed. While about 40 percent of respondents said credit scores are currently a source of marital strife, about a quarter cited budgeting and 20 percent blamed debt repayment. One in three newlyweds said their spouse's spending habits are different than what they expected.

令人头疼的信用评分其实只是该项调查反映的问题之一。40%的受访者表示现在信用评分常常是他们夫妻吵架的导火索，约25%的受访者因家庭预算问题争吵不休，另有20%的受访者因偿还债务而怨念重重。三分之一的新婚夫妇表示，配偶的消费习惯与他们预先的期待完全不一样。

When you are worried about your spouse or fiance's finances, it can be emotionally challenging to broach the topic. But there are ways to get your partner to open up without seeming too critical. Meeting with a financial planner or other professional can help by adding an unbiased third party to the equation, said Carbrey.

当你为配偶或未婚夫 "That can be a good moment to find out about assets and liabilities, and whether they have too much debt," she said.

卡布雷说：“这是摸清另一半的资产和负债情况，并探明其是否身负巨额债务的最好时机。

Other occasions, such as renting an apartment together, can give you the opportunity to find out your partner's credit score, Carbrey said.

而合租公寓等场合也是你了解另一半信用评分的良机，卡布雷说。

As it turns out, people don't always practice what they preach. When asked what qualities they prioritize in a spouse, 80 percent of newlyweds said they cared about credit scores, while 92 percent of survey respondents said financial responsibility.

事实证明，并非人人都能言行一致。当被问及最看重配偶的哪些品质时，80%的新婚夫妇表示他们最在意信用评分，而92%的受访者则在意对方是否具备承担经济责任的能力。

All the more reason to open up a dialogue with your husband or wife early on, said Carbrey. If it makes sense, one solution can be delegating money-related responsibilities to whichever partner is thriftier.

卡布雷认为，这更说明了，经济问题越早和另一半说清越好。如果双方可以谈拢，那么有一种方案就是把财政大权交给相对节俭的一方。

Just be careful to make sure both you and your partner know where important documents are kept, in case of an emergency.

有一点要注意，为了以防万一，一定要确保夫妻双方都清楚重要证件藏在何处。

Vocabulary

prenuptual agreements: 婚前协议

clueless: 无线索的

assets and liabilities: 资产与负债

unbiased: 公正的，无偏见的

all the more reason: 更加正当的理由